Can coffee creamer blow up a car?

Abstract:

This experiment was designed to find out if a coffee creamer in the air could produce an explosion strong enough to blow out a car. Coffee creamer does not ignite easily when in a pile but it is highly flammable when dispersed in the air. The reason behind this is that the particles have a larger surface area exposed to oxygen, allowing them to burn more quickly. 

Introduction:

This experiment was inspired by the television series MythBusters, where coffee creamer was shown igniting into large fireballs. The goal was to see whether this phenomenon could be made to explode large enough to damage a car by varying factors including the amount of coffee creamer, oxygen concentrations, and ignite technique.

Materials and Methods:

To conduct the experiment, coffee creamer was dispersed using an air cannon, which included a compression chamber and a solenoid valve to gradually release the powder. The solenoid valve was powered by two drill batteries, while a wireless ignition switch allowed for remote detonation. To ignite the coffee creamer, a flame was placed near the discharged particles. Various creamer volumes and pressures were tested to verify the experiment’s effectiveness.

The setup aimed to recreate conditions similar to those of the MythBusters explosion. The test was first conducted on a box with the same internal volume as the van, serving as a proxy before applying the method to the vehicle itself.

Results: 

The coffee creamer produced notable fireballs during the initial testing, but not enough explosive force to blow up the test box or the car. The outcomes, even with enormous quantities of coffee creamer, were only restricted to dazzling but non-destructive fireballs. Increasing the amount of coffee creamer and changing the fuel-to-air ratio did not cause the reaction to become more explosive.

The oxygen supply was boosted using an oxygen tank by the experimenters, who thought that oxygen may be the limiting factor. Even with the extra oxygen, the outcome was still the same: the coffee creamer caught fire, but not powerfully enough to break the windows of the car or seriously harm the structure as shown in the picture below.

Discussion:

According to the findings, coffee creamer doesn’t have the explosive strength needed to completely destroy the car, even if it may catch fire and produce fireballs during the experiment. The inability to produce enough force may be the result of an ineffective fuel-to-air ratio or the limits of coffee creamer as a combustible material.

Even after increasing the amount of coffee creamer or enhancing the oxygen concentration did not lead to significant improvements in explosive force. This implies that, even with adjustments to the experimental settings, the explosive potential of coffee creamer is limited. The experiment demonstrated the fundamentals of combustion, mainly the significance of heat, oxygen, and fuel, but it also demonstrated that coffee creamer lacked the volatility necessary for a significant explosion.

Conclusion:

Based on the results of this combustion experiment, it can be concluded that coffee creamer does not have the explosive power necessary to completely demolish a car, even though it can produce fireballs. Although higher oxygen concentrations enhanced combustion, the total explosive power remained pretty much unchanged. The experiment was successful in showing the fundamentals of combustion, but it also brought attention to the drawbacks of utilizing coffee creamer as a fuel source for massive explosions. 

References:

King of Random. “Blowing Up a Van with Coffee Creamer.” YouTube, uploaded by The King of Random, 9 July 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJzH1zUDwWs. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.